Express Entry to Canada Questions and Answers

What is the Express Entry Program?

Express entry is a new program set up by citizenship and immigration Canada (CIC) designed to attract and select skilled workers to Canada for possible permanent residency. This program is an electronic process that is created to connect employers, the federal and provincial government together to allow them to select skilled foreign workers for possible permanent residency to Canada through different economic programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program.

What is the Express Entry Benefits for the Applicant?

• The express entry connects the applicant to employers that are looking to hire skilled foreign workers
• It’s a faster way of obtaining permanent residency to Canada
• You can complete the application online no need to submit paper application

What is the Express Entry Benefits for the Employer?

• the employer can pick out international skilled workers from the system
• it’s a faster process for bring your employee to Canada
• you are working together with immigration Canada

How can I start my Express Entry application?

To start the express entry application you have to create an Express Entry Profile. In here you are asked questions about your skills, work experience, your language ability, education and any other personal information they may need. If you meet the requirements of one of the economic programs you are then placed in pool in which you and your fellow candidates are ranked. The Candidates with the best scores are invitation for an invitation to apply. Providing false information on the Express Entry just to increase your scores or providing false documentation you could be disqualified from applying for a few years.

I did not meet the requirements for the Express Entry Program can I Re-apply?

Yes, you can re-apply to the Express Entry Route as many times as you want. So if there is changes to your application to help you score better points then you can resubmit and try your luck the second time around. To help you become selected from the pool you can work on improving your skills, work experience, education, language ability etc. For example, if you did not get sufficient points for education perhaps take classes to get higher points for education.

What do I get points for under the Express Entry?

• you get points for work experience
• you get points for education
• you get points for language ability
• you get points for skill transferability
• you get points for having a job offer
• you get points for having an invitation from the provinces
• you get points for having a spouse or common law partner in Canada

Who gets the Invitation to Apply for the Express Entry to Canada?

If you scored high points on the express entry route you can get Invitation to Apply. Once you receive the invitation to apply as the candidate you are responsible to submit your application for permanent residency within 60 days. You have to make sure you submit all the necessary documents with your application and complete all the forms accurately to avoid delays or refusals in your application. It takes citizenship and immigration Canada about 6 months to process the whole application, once approved you will land to Canada as permanent residents. If you have a spouse and dependent children they will be receiving their permanent residency as well.

What documents do I to submit when receiving an invitation to apply?

The documents that citizenship and immigration Canada requires once you receive the invitation to apply include passports of yourself and spouse and children, birth certificates, language test results, documents to proof your work experience you claimed, police clearances, medical receipts, passport size photos of yourself and family members and government fees.

You may also have to include additional documents depending for what economic program you applied under:

• Canadian educational credentials
• Attestation letter
• School transcripts from post-secondary program
• Secondary diploma or degree
• Letter from employer that indicates employment has been arranged
• Documents to proof you have family members in Canada (if you claimed it)
• Proof funds on how you will support yourself
• Marriage certificates
• Secondary education documents
• Original letter from a Canadian employer indicating an offer of arranged employment
• Proof of family relationship(s) in Canada
• Proof of settlement funds
• If your name of date of birth changed have to show legal documents to proof it
• Divorce certificates if applicable
• Children birth certificated if applicable
• Adoption papers if applicable
• If you have custody of your children you need to prove it with supporting documents
• Copies of paystubs or work contracts
• Documents for income tax

I got Invitation to Apply but I missed deadline can I still submit my application?

If you miss your application deadline for the Invitation to Apply (ITA) unfortunately the application will no longer be valid and you would have to re-do the process. Therefore, it is very important to gather all the necessary documents requested by citizenship and immigration Canada with the 60 day period. It clearly states on the invitation that there are not extension granted and therefore you would have to be on top of it. To help you gather all the documents in time it is recommended to start collecting everything prior to getting the invitation to apply, because you never know when you will get invited. So it is good to be prepared well in advance and not lose your chance for permanent residency to Canada.

What will happen if I decline the Invitation to Apply (ITA)?

If you decide that you are not ready for the invitation to apply for permanent residency to Canada you can decline the invitation. Once you decline the invitation to apply your profile will be placed back into Express Entry pool and considered for future rounds of invitation as long as you meet the requirements under one of the economic programs. Future invitations are not guaranteed therefore you must think about it before declining this great opportunity.

Contact Akrami and Associates

Have you applied for the Express Entry route? Not sure if that is the best route for you or if there are any other options available to you then please contact our office at 416-477-2545 to book a consultation. Our immigration experts will go over the options available to you and what will work best for you to be able to obtain permanent residency in Canada. If you need assistance with any immigration matter please don’t hesitate to contact us!!

With Akrami and Associates there is always a way!!